Automatic cocking attachment for machine guns



Aug. 12 1924. 1,504,717

H. O. RUSSELL ET AL 7 AUTOMATIC COOKING ATTACHMENT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed April 18,- 1922 772) e 72% 71$ ZZrZerZfl Patented An H2, 3924,

UNl STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT O. RUSSELL, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AND CHARLES LEIGH PAULUS, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC COOKING ATTACHMENT FOR MACHHVE GUNS.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT O. RUSSELL and CHARLES LEIGH PAULUS, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Detroit and Dayton, in the counties of Wayne and Montgomery and States of Michigan and Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cocking Attachments 'for Machine Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a cooking attachment for machine guns. The object of the invention is to provide for automatically re-cocking the machine upon failure to fire and when therefore there is no recoil action. The mechanism herein described is shown as designed to automatically cook the gun. It does not hamper the forward movement of the bolt which is accomplished only by the bolt actuating spring. By functioning in this way the mechanism will allow machine guns to fire ammunition which would otherwise be worthless, due to the fact that the machine gun upon taking a single dead 5 shell would stop its fire.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arran ement herein fully described, illustrate and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the automatic cocking attachment shown applied to a machine gun.

Figure 2 is an end view thereof.

The construction of the automatic cocking attachment, in the preferred embodiment thereof, comprises a mounting bracket 1 which is used to mountthe mechanism on the machine gun, said mounting bracket having fixed thereon a mounting tube 2 which forms a bearing guide for an outer tube 3, the latter being carried to the rear upon the recoil stroke of the bolt of the and held in place by a catch 4. A cockm rod 5 which is normally free to move bee and forth with the bolt is attached to a stud or cocking handle 6 rojecting laterally from the bolt. Upon fa ure of the gun to fire, a

locking-dog 7 will be allowed to move slowly out of locking position at a speed governed by an air cylinder 8 in which said dog is mounted, the dog projecting from and being carried by a piston 8 movable in the cylinder 8 the movement thereof being resisted by a coiled expansion spring 10. The dog 7 is moved out of locking position by a camming action of the plunger hereinafter referred to. The bolt 6 being in its forward position at that time, allows the spring pressed plunger 9 under the pressure of its actuating spring 11 to carry the bolt to the rear, thereby extracting the dud shell from the chamber. Upon reaching the rear end of its stroke, the plunger 9 will trip the catch 4, allowing the outer tube 3 to travel free with the forward movement of the bolt 6. This allows the plunger 9 to catch behind the dog 7. I The next recoil stroke of the gun cocks the mechanism and allows the same to stand ready to again automatically cock the gun upon the next failure of the gun to fire.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. The combination with the bolt of a machine gun, of automatic cocking means embodying a normally free cocking rod connected to and operating in unison with the bolt, a spring plunger for thrusting said rod rearwardly upon failure of the gun to fire, and a catch for normally holding said spring in check but adapted to automatically release the plunger in case of non-fire.

2. The combination with the belt of a machine gun, of automatic cocking means embodying a normally free cocking rod connected to and operating in unison with the bolt, a spring plunger for thrusting said rod rearwardly upon failure of the gun to fire, a 'detent for retaining the plunger spunng in operative position until the bolt 1s lly retracted after a misfire, and a catch for normally holding said plunger 1n check but adapted to automatically release the plunger 1n case of non-fire.

3. The combination with. the bolt of a machine gun, of automatic cocking means emnected to and operating in unison with the permitting the cooking rod and the spring bolt, a spring plunger for thrusting said rod. casing to be again carried forward by the rearwardly upon failure of the gun to fire, bolt. 10

and a catch for normally holding said In testimony whereof we aifix our signa- 5 spring in check but adapted to automatitures.

cally release the plunger in case of non-lire HERBERT O. RUSSELL. and a detent being tripped by the plunger, CHARLES LEIGH PAULUS, 

